1 day ago
Last Updated:May 30, 2025, 21:48 IST
According to recent data, over 30,000 children in Mexico have been forcibly recruited into criminal organisations. Another 2,00,000 are believed to be at risk.
In 2021, authorities in Oaxaca detained 3 boys who had been recruited through the Free Fire mobile game. (Representational Image)
In a chilling reminder of the human cost of organised crime, the story of a young girl named Sol is casting new light on the growing exploitation of children by Mexican drug cartels. Sol was once a familiar face on the streets, selling roses by the roadside. She was known for the innocence in her eyes and the flowers in her hands. But that innocence was short-lived. One day, a stranger approached her, and that encounter marked the end of her childhood.
She was taken to a cartel compound. At first, her role was limited to just watching, reporting, and learning. But soon, at just 12 years old, she was ordered to kidnap a man. The mission spiraled into violence, ending in murder. It was her first task for one of Mexico’s powerful drug syndicates.
Now older, Sol is speaking out, sharing her experience in an effort to expose how cartels systematically recruit minors, often under the noses of authorities, and increasingly through social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and online games such as Free Fire.
Children like Sol are often referred to within cartel circles as pollitos de colores, also knows as “colourful chicks". The nickname belies a brutal reality. Experts say children are targeted because they are vulnerable, easy to manipulate, and less likely to attract scrutiny. When they die, few questions are asked.
According to recent data, over 30,000 children in Mexico have been forcibly recruited into criminal organisations. Another 2,00,000 are believed to be at risk. Many are lured online or drawn in by family members already entangled in the drug trade.
In 2021, authorities in Oaxaca detained three boys aged 11 to 14 who had been recruited through the Free Fire mobile game. “When you join this, your death date is already fixed. But still, you feel like you have no other choice," a 14-year-old boy told Reuters.
The cartels increasingly prefer younger recruits. Experts say children are often drugged to dull fear and increase obedience. By age eight, some are trained to use firearms. They start as lookouts or messengers. Within a few years, many are participating in kidnappings, extortion, or murder.
First-person accounts paint a grim picture. Another girl named Isabel shared her story how she was just 14 when her uncle, who had previously sexually abused her, introduced her to the cartel. Drug addiction followed. So did a miscarriage. Now 19, Isabel is currently undergoing rehabilitation at a centre in central Mexico.
Daniel, another survivor, was kidnapped from a party at age 16 and forced into cartel service. For three years, he worked as a collection agent and later, a hitman. He says many of his peers died – some in turf wars, others by suicide. He escaped in late 2024 and is now in the United States. “I’m afraid of dying. But I didn’t have another option," he said.
An active cartel member, speaking anonymously, confirmed the widespread use of minors. “By eight, they know how to handle a gun. We start them off as lookouts. Then they do what they’re told," he said.
Location :Mexico
First Published:News world 'Colorful Chicks': How Mexico's Drug Cartels Are Recruiting Kids As Killers, Lookouts And Spies
